Himeko/Cailleach Lore
The Cailleach ⏛ also referred to as [ cailleach phiseogach ], they are a strictly female race of divine beings, closely related to the man’s terminology ‘witch’ or in Etri’s case ‘enchantress’. Often met with doubt, and other times, when worse case scenario, hostility, this race of women were once proud and thriving, many different groups of Cailleach creating clans to further teach and strengthen the line. However, fear soon engulfed each clan as those who were deemed ‘human’ or ‘normal’ sought out and began to murder them due to their powers. Before long, their race disappeared, leading many to have believe they had become extinct. While this wasn’t entirely true, during the widespread extermination, many cailleachs were in fact slaughtered, the number of them significantly lower than they were comfortable with. Realizing they had to take action, the women went into hiding, most, if not all, escaping to the deepest, darkest of places no man dare step foot. Most were okay with this new way of living, however, there are always some that desire more. Angered and vengeful, a small handful of women abandoned the shadows, taking up arms, and began the creation of the race of beastkin Maledicti using them as familiars to do their bidding as they got back at those who had wronged their sisters. The others, those who wanted nothing but peace after the death, began to replenish their ranks. In their peace, they began to grow, but due to the chaos created by those who wanted more, they would not live how they wanted. War between the divine and man broke out, a war that span for years, until those that had attempted to reclaim their lives blinked out of existence. The race they had created, the Maledicti, continued to be created, leading many to believe that not all of the clan had been killed. At first, those turned were given wholeheartedly the chance to change back, but soon, that chance became harder and harder to achieve, until they could no longer receive salvation. It seemed someone had tainted the rules that had been created to balance the good and evil. The crusade to better the lives of their race no longer a priority as it seemed someone wanted nothing more than suffering. As the years went by, individuals would tell tales, claim to be decedents, and gave rise to the ‘fortunetelling’, better known as ‘coning’ by a majority. Whether these women told the truth or not was immaterial, as the lore of the race became a thing of the past with each passing year, until they had been forgotten. The Maledicti ran wild, and became something of a hunting spectacle to human’s, the beasts nothing more than target practice, coming of age rites to young boys growing up, never mind the fact that these creature had once been human as they were at one point in time. The Cailleach were no more than a fairy tale told to children in the dead of night, used as a lesson. Be good, don’t talk to strangers, and never be different. Attributes of the Cailleach Though human in appearance, the divinity of these beings are shown when creating or casting their spells or performing their rituals. They are highly sensitive to magicks of all kinds, however, most excel where others do not, each Cailleach fitting their own niche. Some are better at healing spells. Others are better at the dark arts. And some, the few, seem to have an affinity for the spiritual. Yet, all share some key traits. A Cailleach’s lifespan is stretched far longer than that of a human, the oldest Cailleach being eight hundred years old, though most only live at the very least five hundred years. Offspring birthed by them hold superior genetics compared to man, as there is no such thing as a ‘half-cailleach’. However, that being said, giving birth is a rather difficult task for them, as their birthrates are low, even more so as they must mate with male humans, whom their body rejects. Fertility can be few and far in between, borderline a guessing game for them. Magicks can help them, but hardly at all. Their bodies are very fragile compared to that of a human’s, like glass, even with their slight regenerative capabilites. Iron can weaken, and in some cases kill them entirely, if exposed to it long enough. While they work fine in the day, at night they are at their strongest. Most strong Cailleach’s can cast spells without vocalizing, however a majority cannot, therefore gagging them leaves them powerless. As strong as they can be with time and practice, there is a high possibility that Cailleach’s can be engulfed by their own powers, if they use it too much, some of their race having gone insane due to overindulging. White hair is a prominent feature, most Cailleach's being recognized by it, though some have been known to have blond and the rarest, brown. Eyes are normally on the softer side, blues and greens. Their bodies vary, however, they are normally lithe and petite.